A Turkish court ruled on Wednesday to keep a US consulate employee in jail as his trial on espionage charges continues.
Metin Topuz, a Turkish citizen and liaison for the US Drug Enforcement Administration who has been jailed since 2017 told a judge no credible evidence had been submitted against him.
The case has added to growing tension between Ankara and Washington, who have also been at odds over developments in Syria and Turkey's purchase of Russian missile defence systems.
Turkish authorities accuse Mr Topuz of ties to US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara says ordered an attempted coup the year before.
His next court appearance was set for March 10.
"The charges are based on unrealistic allegations and contradictory testimonies of so-called witnesses," Mr Topuz told the Istanbul court.
"Not one single piece of evidence has been presented to the court that would convince a rational person that I tried to destroy the Turkish republic," he said, referring to claims made by the prosecution.
The trial has been delayed as prosecutors try to locate a witness who Topuz's lawyers say has fled to Italy and has no bearing on the case.
Since the failed 2016 coup, tens of thousands of people have been arrested over suspected ties to Mr Gulen and more than 100,000 people have been sacked or suspended from public sector jobs. Mr Gulen rejects the coup accusations.
Washington's refusal to extradite Mr Gulen, combined with differences over the Syrian conflict and Turkey's decision to buy a Russian missile defence system, have put unprecedented strain on relations between the Nato allies.
The court has repeatedly said it wants to hear one remaining witness in the case.
The low down
Producers: Uniglobe Entertainment & Vision Films
Director: Namrata Singh Gujral
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nargis Fakhri, Bo Derek, Candy Clark
Rating: 2/5
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The Old Slave and the Mastiff
Patrick Chamoiseau
Translated from the French and Creole by Linda Coverdale
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
